


Never Cry

by MesoMaxi



Series: Up, Down, All Around - Moments [4]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: (Rouge and Tails just mentioned), Character Study, Crying, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, One Shot, Sonadow - Freeform, Wordcount: 1.000-5.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-17 18:28:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28853577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MesoMaxi/pseuds/MesoMaxi
Summary: Most people are overwhelmed and don’t even realize it.[“Sonic, you might hurt sometimes, at times you might shed tears—so what?”]
Relationships: Shadow the Hedgehog/Sonic the Hedgehog
Series: Up, Down, All Around - Moments [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2202192
Comments: 4
Kudos: 38





	Never Cry

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not an native English speaker, also no beta.
> 
> Hope you’ll enjoy!

Running away, that was what the blue hero was doing yet again. 

Shadow was at their shared home—previously Sonic’s barely used apartment—in Station Square. He sat on the bed waiting—hoping for the cobalt hedgehog to come home. 

After an especially hard battle with Eggman this morning, Sonic had run away after a stray comment of needing to run. It was nothing out of the ordinary for the hero and Shadow had learned that, after a lot of worrying and eventually talking with Tails about it. 

Sonic just needed to run sometimes, he was free like the wind and staying cooped up in an apartment or house too long didn’t work for the agent's hyperactive partner. Ever since Tails got his workshop-combined-house, Sonic had been running away on adventures only to come home to his little brother to check up on him for a little while and then running away again. So Tails had told the agent not to worry about it and that Shadow meant the world to Sonic even if the blue hero wasn’t around all the time, he just needed to run free sometimes. 

Shadow had known this about Sonic for several months now—or ever since he first met him he’d known the hero's constant need for stimulation—but he still worried.

He knew that the cobalt hedgehog loved to run and just because he did it after a situation that Shadow found overwhelming didn’t mean the other did, right? Just because he didn’t ask the striped hedgehog to come along on Shadow’s work free day didn’t mean that there was anything wrong, right? 

Shadow looked at his phone which was displaying his latest message to Rouge about Sonic still not being home after several hours. She hadn’t answered, probably too focused on the red buffoon to notice. 

Sonic could be gone over the day doing who knows what when the agent was at work, but today he didn’t have work and if Sonic was out he’d always come home in the evening so they could cook dinner and spend time together. 

He stood up walking out in the hallway to put on his skates. Placing his phone in his quills he was determined to find the hero and maybe get some answers to his questions.

* * *

Sonic was always staying strong and he wasn’t one to give up or show weakness. So finding Sonic sitting on the ground with his arms around his knees, fingers harshly tugging at the cuffs on his gloves, seemingly crying was… come to think about it he’d never really seen the other cry had he?

The dark hero walked up carefully to the blue hedgehog sitting at the base of a big tree—Shadow's own old brooding tree at the edge of the Mystic Ruins— coughing lightly to make his presence known. He wanted to comfort the hedgehog right away but he had to judge the situation first. 

Sonic looked up from his bowed position and in a blink of an eye his whole aura and demeanor changed. 

“Oh, hey Shads!” the wiping of tears not going unnoticed by the striped hedgehog. “Didn’t see you coming.”

“Sonic, what’s wrong?” Shadow's voice was soft as he kneeled down beside the other. “Why are you crying?”

“You know I have hayfever, it's just the pollen, nothing to worry about!” Sonic looked at his smartwatch likely searching for a distraction. “Oh wow I didn’t notice the time flying by so quickly, sorry for not getting home in time for dinner.”

“Hedgehog it’s July the pollen season is long gone.” He stroked the others slightly turned away cheek, not being able to resist giving the hero a small comforting touch. Sonic's face was beautifully framed by the glow of the sunset, his emerald eyes watery and sparkling. “Don’t change the subject.”

Sonic turned his head away as more tears seemed to roll down his cheeks, rubbing vigorously at his eyes to get the moisture away. The cobalt hedgehog let out a big sigh, clearly giving up on pretending. “I don’t know why I’m crying like this, I was just sitting here enjoying nature about to run home and then I just started crying.” He hid his face in his arms again, frustrated and likely overwhelmed by actually admitting his feelings. “I’m not one to give in to despair. I'm supposed to bring hope to everyone, not moping around crying.”

“Sonic, crying isn’t giving in to despair.” He couldn’t believe he’d ever say these sappy quotes but… “Crying isn’t weakness, it's a sign of having tried too hard to be strong for too long.” 

Sonic’s laugh was watery but there. “When did you become the cheesy one?”

“Just now I suppose, can I hug you?”

The hero nodded, letting the other envelope him as he circled his own peach arms around the dark body of his partner. 

“Sonic, you might hurt sometimes, at times you might shed tears—so what?” He whispered carefully. “Sometimes, you might get overwhelmed, so what if you do?” 

“I’m not that kind of person, I’m everyone’s hope—and it's not just for everyone else, I don’t wanna be that kind of person who’s negative and cries.” Sonic’s voice was equally as soft as the agents, but Shadow could still hear and feel the shudders going through the slim body of the hero.

“It’s not a kind of person, everyone cries—it’s not a loss of hope, it’s a sign of strength. Just as we should laugh, we should cry, they are both therapeutic, and help us make sense of the world that sometimes gets overwhelming.” he stroked the others quills gently listening to the cobalt hedgehog's soft breaths. He was talking from memory, from the long therapy sessions he’d had through the last year. “I cry, Sonic, we should be able to cry as well as we laugh together, you helped me so I want to help you, please talk to me if you feel happy or excited as well as upset or overwhelmed. Emotions are hard to deal with, but never crying doesn’t help. I've learned that from therapy and it's true.”

Sonic looked up from his place against Shadow's fluffy chest fur, the only signs of crying being his puffy eyes. “Okay, I’ll try. I’m still not used to this—having someone else to be my protector.” He let out a chuckle but still not letting go of the hug. ”Wasn’t it me who got you a therapist in the first place, huh?” 

“It was, you and Rouge— _maybe you need one as well_ —but Sonic we’re each other's protectors, I don’t need to be the sole protector and you don’t either, we’re in this together.”

“Yeah, together.” Sonic straightened, pulling Shadow up with him. Planting a quick kiss to the others lips as a thanks. “Let’s race home before the sun sets!”

“Humph, you're on hedgehog.”  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> I don’t mind criticism so please comment your thoughts good or bad!
> 
> (You can find me on Twitter @MesoMaxi)


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